Combined guard and nail-setting attachment for hammers



y 9, 1961 J. M. WILSON 2,983,297

COMBINED GUARD AND NAIL-SETTING ATTACK-WENT FOR HAMMERS Filed Sept. 5, 1958 54 "lo 24 as III/4 Ill be INVENTOR.

Joan M. \mLsoM United States Patent O COMBINED GUARD AND NAIL-SETTING A'ITACHlVlENT FOR HAMlVIERS John M. Wilson, 843 McNeilly Road, Pittsburgh 26, Pa.

Filed Sept. 5, 1958, Ser. No. 759,345

This invention relates to a combined work guarding and nail-setting attachment for hammer heads.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical, and eflicient attachment of this kind which is made of resilient and compressible material, such as rubber, and which is designed with an open side to be stretched and engaged over a hammer head from one side thereof, and prevents marring of work struck by the hammer head by cushioning portions of the hammer lliead, including the poll, body, and claws or peen of the ead.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment of the character indicated which converts a hammer head to a rubber mallet for tapping wood, glass block, tile, wood flooring, and like easily defacea-ble and fragile materials; and which serves to prevent damage to woodwork while the hammer head is being used to draw nails therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attachment of the character indicated above which has a closed side, opposed to its open side, which engages a side of the body of the hammer head and has a slot therein through which a nail head is adapted to be securably engaged, with the nail head bearing against the side of the body, so that such nail can be started in such as wood, by manipulating and tapping with the hammer head, and when so started, can be easily disengaged from the slot.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing an attachment of the invention in place on a claw-type hammer head;

Figure 2 is an opposite side elevation showing the attachment, partly broken away, in cushioning engagement with a surface from which a nail is being drawn by the claws of the hammer head;

Figure 3 is an end elevation taken from the left in Figure 1, and partly broken away;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section taken on the line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section, similar to Figure 4, showing a nail held by the attachment for starting;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the attachment;

Figure 7 is a side elevation thereof; and

Figure 8 is an opposite side elevation thereof.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral 10 generally designates a hammer head having a body 12 in which is secured a handle 14. The body 12 has on one end a poll 16, jo ned thereto by a reduced neck 18, and on its other end a pair of claws 20. The body 12 has a flat outer longitudinal'surface 22, and flat substantially parallel sides 24 and 26 which extend also along the opposite sides of the socket portion 28 of the body 12. The socket portion 28 has concavely curved Patented May 9, 1961 ICC end surfaces 30 and 32. The poll 16 has a striking surface 17.

The attachment of the invention, generally designated 34, is preferably homogeneously molded semi-tubular body 36 of resilient and compressible material, such as rubber, and has a closed side, and an open side which is designed to be stretched over a side of the hammer head so as to conformably engage the attachment on the hammer head 10 and to enable the attachment to be removed from one side of the hammer head.

The attachment 34 comprises a closed side wall 38 which includes a generally triangular and relatively wide portion 40 which engages and is of the area and shape of the side 24 of the hammer head body 12. The side wall 38 has on one end a reduced width longitudinal projection 42 which engages the side of the related claw 20. On the other end of the side wall 38 is a reduced width longitudinal projection which includes a relatively narrow semi-cylindrical portion 46 which conformably engages the side of the hammer head neck 18, and terminatm in a large diameter semi-cylindrical portion 48 which conformably engages the related side of the poll 16.

Integral with and extending between the ends of the side wall 38 including the portions 46 and 48, is an outer longitudinal wall 50 which extends laterally from the side wall 38. The outer longitudinal wall 50 is preferably substantially thicker than the other walls of body 36, and has an outer longitudinally curved outer longitudinal surface 52, which is designed to act as a fulcrum or rocker surface when the hammer head 16 is applied to a surface S from which a nail N is to be extracted by the claws 20, as shown in Figure 2. The longitudinal wall 50 has a reduced semi-cylindrical portion 54, conforming to the hammer head neck 18 and a larger diameter semicylindrical portion 56 conforming to the poll 16. The longitudinal wall 50 terminates in a lateral longitudinal free edge 58 which bounds part of the open side of the body 36, and has related portions which are substantially flush with the side 26 of the hammer head body 12, and of the neck 18 and the poll 16, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

Integral with related portions of the longitudinal edge of the side wall 38 remote from the longitudinal wall 50 are semicylindrical inner longitudinal wall portions 60 and 62, which conformably engage the inner sides of the neck 18 and the poll 16, and curved end walls 64 and 66 which conformably engage the curved ends 30 and 32 of the hammer head body 12. Integral with the related ends of the side wall 38, the longitudinal wall 50, and the portion 62 is a circular end wall 68 which covers the striking surface 17 of the poll 16 Formed centrally in the relatively wide portion 40 of the side wall 38, which engages the side 24 of the hammer head body 12, is a nail holding key-hole slot 70 which comprises a circular portion 72, large enough to pass the head 74 of a nail N, and a reduced width slot portion 76 which is only wide enough to pass the shank 78 of a nail N, and extends inwardly from the portion 72. As indicated in Figure 5, a nail N to be started into a surface (not shown) has its head 74 passed through the slot portion 72 and slid between the side wall 38 and the side 24 of the hammer head body 12, with its shank 78 in the slot portion 76, so that the head 74 is held frictionally in place between the side wall 38 and the body side 24, and the nail N can be started by driving the point of the shank 78 with the side of the hammer head 10. As shown in Figure 5, the presence of the nail head 74 resiliently deforms the attachment side wall 38 away from the hammer head side 24. Once the nail N has been started, the hammer head 10 and the attachment are easily disengaged from the nail N by twisting the hammer head so that the material of the side wall provided on the free edge of the end Wall 66 also to in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A guard for a hammer head, comprising a single resilient and stretchable hollow body comprising an outer longitudinal wall having first and second longitudinal side edges, a side wall on and extending along said one side edge, and defining a closed side for the body, said second side edge being devoid of a side wall so as to define an open side for the body, an inner longitudinal wall extending along the edge of said side Wall remote from said outer longitudinal wall, said inner longitudinal wall being discontinuous at a point intermediate its ends, so as to define first and second inner longitudinal wall portions, a semi-circular wall on one end of said outer and inner longitudinal walls and said side Wall, a circular wall on and in prolongation of said semi-circular wall, and an end wall extending across said circular wall, and retaining flanges at the open side of the body and extending along related longitudinal side edges of the side wall and the outer and inner longitudinal walls.

2. A guard for a hammer head, comprising a single resilient and stretchable hollow body comprising an outer longitudinal wall having first and second longitudinal side edges, a side wall on and extending along said one side edge, and defining a closed side for the body, said second side edge being devoid of a side wall so as to define an open side for the body, an inner longitudinal wall extending along the edge of said side wall remote from said outer longitudinal wall, said inner longitudinal wall being discontinuous at a point intermediate its ends, so as to define first and second inner longitudinal wall portions, a semi-circular wall on one end of said longitudinal walls and said side wall, a circular wall on and in prolongation of said semi-circular wall, and an end wall extending across said circular wall, and retaining flanges at the open side of the body and extending along related edges of the side wall and the outer and inner longitudinal walls, said side wall being formed with a closed nail-head holding slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,792,153 Evich Feb. 10, 1931 2,499,802 Ulfrees Mar. 7, 1950 2,574,304 Vigil Nov. 6, 1951 2,765,827 Hall Oct. 9, 1956 2,879,030 Loretitsch Mar. 24, 1959 

